


Sick Day

by rachaellikestoread



Category: Suikoden III
Genre: Gen, Humor, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-25
Updated: 2014-02-25
Packaged: 2018-01-13 17:29:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1234975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rachaellikestoread/pseuds/rachaellikestoread
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sasarai gets sick for the first time in his life. Dios has his patience tested.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sick Day

At first, Dios thought Sasarai was dead. He lay prone on the floor, competely still, not even turning his head to acknowledge Dios' presence. Only when Dios came close enough to see that he was breathing did he sigh with relief.

"Oh, Bishop. Please don't scare me like that. What are you doing? When you didn't come downstairs for breakfast, I--" He stopped. No, something still wasn't right. His face was flushed and beaded with sweat, as though he had a fever.

"Something's wrong with me," Sasarai groaned. "I feel weak and hot and cold at the same time. And I hurt all over. I've never felt this way before."

"Let me feel your forehead." Dios placed the back of his hand to Sasarai's forehead, and his eyes widened. "You're burning up! Good heavens, Bishop, why did you even get dressed? You probably caught the flu that's been going around. You need to get undressed right now and go back to bed."

"I can't get undressed," he mumbled.

"I don't mean take everything off, just your outerwear. You don't need to be shy."

"No, that's not what I mean. I mean I can't move. This is a flu? It feels perfectly awful."

Dios sighed. "You've never had a flu before? What am I saying? Of course you haven't. The True Earth Rune kept you healthy." _And if you've never been sick, of course you're going to act like a baby the first time._ "I'll help you get your clothes off." He sat Sasarai up and removed his shirt, then started to pull down his trousers.

Sasarai began to shake. "I'm cold again."

"Let's get you into bed." Dios helped him get to his feet. "Do you need me to carry you?"

"No, I...I think I can make it." Sasarai made a heroic effort as he placed one step in front of the other, moaning with discomfort as the two of them inched their way toward the bed.

Piccolo appeared in the doorway, looked inside, became flustered, stammered, "P-please forgive the intrusion!" and dashed off in the direction he'd come from.

Dios tried not to think about what the elderly fortuneteller was assuming he was "intruding" on. Instead, he pulled back the covers of Sasarai's bed and helped him get comfortable--at least, as comfortable as was possible, given his condition.

"Get some rest," he said. "I'll go tell the others that you're sick and not to be disturbed. Do you want to be left alone, or do you want me to stay with you in case you need something?"

"Stay." He closed his eyes. "Thanks, Dios."

***

For another hour or so, Sasarai slept while Dios read a book. But at about a quarter to noon, it began.

"Dios."

"Yes, sir."

"Why am I crying?"

"Your eyes are watering," Dios explained. "That's one of your symptoms."

"I can't breathe."

"You're congested."

"My ears and nose are blocked off. My head feels like it's going to explode from the pressure."

"That's also because you're congested."

"My head and throat hurt. My skin feels like it's going to chafe if you touch it. It's so sensitive all of a sudden."

"Those are also symptoms."

"I'm weak. I can't move."

"You don't have to move, sir. I'll take care of everything."

"Thanks."

Several minutes passed, and Dios returned to his book.

"Dios."

"Yes, sir?"

"I think I'm dying."

"You're not dying, sir. Everyone--well, I guess almost everyone--gets the flu now and then, and hardly anyone ever dies from it."

"But some people do."

"Well...Sometimes, but..."

"I'm going to die."

"No, you're not."

"Luc taking my True Rune...was far preferable to this. I survived all that, and now I'm going to die."

"You're not going to die. Well, everyone's going to die someday, but you're not going to die from this."

"Yes, I am. I'm dying right now."

"No, you're not."

More minutes of silence passed, but now Dios knew better than to think his charge was asleep.

"Dios..."

"Yes, sir."

"Remember that time you had a cold and you said your head hurt and I told you to 'get over it'?"

"Vaguely, sir."

"Well, I'm sorry."

"I appreciate and accept your apology, sir."

"I'm sorry for everything."

"Everything, sir?"

"Yes." Sasarai sniffed. "Everything. I'm sorry people have died bcause of me. I'm sorry I'm part of a corrupt country and religion. I'm sorry that my very existence causes Luc pain. I'm sorry, sorry, sorry! Dios! Please forgive me!" He was crying now. "Forgive me, forgive me, I'm sorry, I'm the worst person ever."

"Sir, that's enough."

Sasarai sniffled and sobbed for a while, then groaned. "Now my head hurts even more. I really am going to die, aren't I?"

"No, you're not."

"...Dios."

"Yes, sir."

"I'm a terrible person."

Dios sighed again. "No, you're not a terrible person, sir."

"Yes, I am. The other day, that girl, Viki, she tripped, and I laughed at her."

"That's all right, sir."

"I mean, not out loud. But I was laughing inside my heart. I was laughing at her pain. She was in pain, Dios. I could see it in her eyes. And then that little boy, Elliot...He walked right into a training dummy, and I laughed then, too. Inside my heart. Even as I ran to him and asked him if he was okay, my heart was laughing at his suffering."

"It's all right."

"No, it's not all right. I did bad things and now I'm being punished for it."

"You're not being punished, sir. You have a virus. Several people here have had the virus. You caught it because there are a lot of people here and viruses spread from person to person."

"I'm dying, Dios. I'm going to hell."

"You're not going to hell."

"I already feel the flames."

"Your body temperature is a little high right now. That's all."

"I'm going to hell. For laughing at the suffering of children."

"Sir, everyone laughs at children when they trip and bump into things. Neither Viki nor Elliot was seriously hurt."

"Dios."

"Yes, sir."

"I'm sorry I called Hugo a chump."

"I don't think he's worried about that, Bishop."

"I had a goldfish once. I forgot to feed it so many days in a row that it died. And when one of the grownups asked me what happened, I lied and said I didn't know."

"That's all right, sir. I absolve you."

"...Good." He dozed for another twenty minutes or so, then spoke up again.

"Dios!"

"Hmm? I mean, yes, sir?"

"Is Luc here?"

"No, sir, he's not."

"I see Luc. He's on the ceiling."

"I think you're hallucinating, sir. That sometimes happens when you have a fever."

"He has the body of a sheep."

"You're hallucinating, sir."

"I'm dying. Luc's come to welcome me home."

"Sir..."

"We can go home, Dios. We can end this right now. Where am I? Am I in hell?"

"No, sir."

"I think I'm in hell. It's hot."

"That's your fever, sir."

"I'm in pain."

"I know, sir."

"If only the pain will stop, I promise I'll never hurt anybody ever again."

"......"

"Dios."

"Yes, sir."

"I would kill for my True Earth Rune right now," he said, apparently forgetting what he had promised twenty seconds ago. "I think Luc should be the one with the flu instead."

"I agree, sir." _If you didn't have the flu, I could deal with you as I always do instead of...like this_.

"Dios..."

"Hm?"

"I love you."

"...Thank you, sir."

"You know that, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you love me?"

"Yes, sir."

"Say it. Say you love me."

"I love you, sir."

"Good." His eyes opened, then fluttered closed again. "I want to be loved...by just one person...before I die."

"That's enough, sir."

"Stay with me."

"I will, sir. I won't leave you for anything."

"What if you have to pee?"

"I'll hold it."

"You can use the window."

"I'm not going to use the window."

"But you can't hold it forever."

"If I can't hold it, I'll get someone else to watch you, and then do my business and come back as soon as possible."

"Wash your hands, though. Don't leave that out just because you're in a hurry. I can wait."

"I'll make sure to wash my hands. I always do."

"And wipe yourself, too."

"...What do you think I am?"

"You're a better person than me."

"No, I'm not, sir."

"Yes, you are. I'm a terrible person. I'm the worst person ever. I'm worse than Luca Blight."

"You're not worse than Luca Blight, sir. No one is."

"I'm going to hell, Dios. But you're going to go to heaven. You're going to be an angel. In fact, I think you're an angel already."

"I'm not an angel, sir."

"I'm dying, Dios."

"You're not dying, sir."

And so on and so forth.

"Dios..."

"Yes, sir."

"Why do I feel this way? Why do I feel like everything's hopeless?"

"Everything seems hopeless when you're sick, Bishop. And you're already under a lot of stress with all that's going on. But you have to get better, so just try and relax. Nash and I and most of our men have had the flu before, and we all survived and became healthy again. You will, too. Just like spring comes after winter, you'll get better after being sick."

***

"Honestly, I'm not joking. It was like looking after a child. No, I take that back. A child wouldn't be nearly as demanding. But Bishop Sasarai..."

"'I love you, Dios,'" Nash mimicked. "'Hold my hand so the angels can see it when they come for me. Oh, I'm such a terrible person. I want you to warm me up with your body.' Yes, the entire castle is talking about how talkative His Holiness became when he had that fever. And I think there's still some...misunderstanding over all that moaning he was doing."

"There's no reason to misunderstand." Dios rolled his eyes. "Everyone knows he was sick. And he never said he wanted me to warm him up...that way."

"Really? That's not what Estella said."

"That woman is incapable of telling the truth."

"Who is?" asked Sasarai, who had just returned from a stroll around the castle grounds.

"Estella."

"Hello, Nash. Have you tried one of Barts' tomatoes? They're delicious."

"Hm? No, I haven't. It's good to see you're doing well, Bishop."

"Thank you....Dios?"

"Yes, Bishop."

"Did I..." Sasarai glanced at Nash, then pulled Dios aside and whispered, "Did I say anything...strange to you while I had that fever? I think maybe I did."

"Oh, nothing you need to trouble yourself with. You said something about a man with a sheep's body, but I think you were just having a bad dream."

"I see." Sasarai cleared his throat. "Well, if I _had_ said anything strange, please understand that I meant it...in the least strange way possible."

"I understand, sir."

***

"Dios..."

"What do you want?"

"Oh, that's cold! Why can't you be nicer?"

"If you think I'm going to baby you just because Bishop Sasarai volunteered me for this thankless task..."

"You were so much more gentle with Bishop Sasarai."

"Don't say it like that. You've had this before. I don't need to be 'gentle' with you."

"You always loved the Bishop more than you loved me, didn't you? I knew it. No one cares about old Nash."

"'Old Nash' isn't paying my salary."

"Dios..."

"Uh-huh."

"I've done terrible things."

"I'm sure you have."

"And I'm not even sorry."

"Of course not."

"But I couldn't help it. I did it out of love. I did it all for you, Dios."

"Please stop, Nash."

"I'm cold. I think you and the Bishop need to get into bed with me. Even my missus would approve."

"That's enough!"

"Dios..."

"What?"

"I love youuuuuu."

"That's it. You'd better not be faking this illness." 

"Nah, just the delirium. Dios, I'm dying."

"Only if I kill you before this horrible week is over."

Dios took it all back. He would never complain about the Bishop's whims again.

THE END


End file.
